COMACC releases memo on Bringing the Future Faster

  • Published
  • By Mr. Lemuel Casillas
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs

The Commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mike Holmes recently released a memorandum outlining his third and final priority, Bringing the Future Faster.

The memo discusses ACC's desire to accelerate the pace of changes to programs and policies, and it highlights ACC's development priorities in three broad areas: multi-domain operations and awareness, agile resilient communications and battle management.

"Bringing the future faster requires both expanding our culture of innovation and balancing prudent risk acceptance with agile reaction," Gen Holmes stated in the memo.

“The changing world requires us to react to an unpredictable future. While we remain the world's greatest Air Force, sticking to the same old ways of doing business will not deliver the future needed. Agility and prudent risk acceptance must shape out activities and our force.”

The memo empowers every ACC Airmen, Active, Guard, Reserve and Civilian to challenge the innovation status quo.

"At all levels, we must encourage and reward experimentation and learning through fast failure," Holmes said. "Our success in inspiring innovation is determined not only by how well we develop new capabilities, but ultimately by how fast, and at what cost, we can deliver capabilities to the warfighter."

Future development efforts will rely on modernization in three foundational areas; multi domain operations, agile resilient communications, and battle management.

To support these foundational areas ACC will work to ensure success in ten capability development areas. The areas include Advance Battle Management System, Agile Communications, Air Superiority, AOC Pathfinder, Developmental Test and Operational Test Integration, Light Attack, Multi-Domain ISR, Open Architecture Distributed Common Ground System, Operational Training Infrastructure and Total Force Integration.

The memo emphasizes these areas are not a complete list of required future capabilities, and they are not in priority order.  They are currently identified areas where the command’s perspective can influence future force design.

"I recognize that bringing the future faster is a huge challenge. Embrace innovation, accept prudent risk and focus your efforts on controlling and exploiting air and space on behalf of the Joint Force," Holmes said.

For more details see the attached memo.